Represent

As headlines and bombs fly with fury, I find myself even more convinced that we must actively fight locally for our family and communities as it is in these spaces only where most of us can make any impact. There are those that are called to play on the big stage, but where we find what’s worth fighting for is in our homes. Whether apartment, single-family rental, McMansion, RV or tent, that is your home, your shelter, your place. We can all wish for better shelter, but what exactly are we wishing for?

We live in the land of abundance but feel starved. We watch events with learned helplessness, afraid to look inward. We fight about things that won’t matter years from now when we lay dying, preparing to leave this earth. We envy those who we think have more than us. Gratitude is not our go-to garb.

We need to try harder.

My sincere hope is that everyone finds their dream home. I caution though that achieving that goal will not fix all of your problems. You will just get new ones. While we wait for that time and as we helplessly watch scenes of destruction flash across our screens, I encourage you to focus on the relationships in your life because those are the people who will be standing by your side when your time comes. Instead of obsessively focusing only on your wants and needs, think about how you could bring joy or a smile to someone today who may really be desperate for connection. Look up from your phones and into the eyes of your fellow humans. They need you.

You are not powerless. You have the power to change the energy in a room. Leadership by example is one of the most powerful forces we can effect as humans. When we lead lives focused on gratitude and service, we turn heads. You are a representative of your fellow man. And if there are enough of us the pettiness and power-grabs by the few will fall to the wayside as we reclaim our joy, our peace, our families, our time. Less is more.

Forgive the tone, but if you feel anything like I do today based on events in the Middle East or just your everyday struggle, I felt we needed to be reminded of our strength. Although we may not be able to exert any control over what happens next, we do have the ability to better someone’s life and in turn, enrich our own. Trite, perhaps, but true.

Onward…

Tomorrow, we receive existing home sales results, and they could serve as a very interesting signal. Is disorder accelerating, or are the seasonal winds too strong? Below, I will share my forecast for May sales and price as well as an initial view into motivated and distressed selling across the country based on Redfin results for M3 cities.

Without further ado…